For the first time in our Nation's history, Voters in 24 Counties in West Virginia will be able to Vote using their Mobile Phones.
While some are hailing the decision because it will make Voting easier for Members of the Military deployed Overseas, Experts are warning of possible Security Breaches.
"After researching previously available options, the Secretary’s team identified that most electronic ballot delivery technology required access to a desktop computer, printer and scanner, all of which present significant barriers to overseas voters, especially those in combat zones or engaged in covert operations," the West Virginia Secretary of State's Office explained in a Press Release this Week.
The State is partnering with a Boston, Massachusetts-based Company called Voatz, Inc.
"Voatz has developed a secure mobile voting application that allows voters to receive, vote, and return their ballots electronically," the Press Release claims.
"The application also utilizes blockchain technology to store electronically submitted ballots until election night, and requires a heightened standard of identity verification for users than traditional absentee ballot processes. This project is unprecedented in United States history, being the first mobile voting application and first use of blockchain technology in a federal election."
In the May's State’s Primary, a Pilot Program enabling Voting via a Blockchain Network allowed some Military to Cast a Ballot with their Smartphone.
The West Virginia Experiment helped determine whether Blockchain, widely used in Cryptocurrency, has a place in Election Security. But Computer Scientists say Mobile Voting is Risky.
The Pilot Program was Funded with a $150,000 Grant from Tusk/Montgomery Philanthropies Inc., a Foundation set up by Venture Capitalist and former Uber Technologies Inc. Adviser Bradley Tusk. He asked one of his Teams to Research Mobile Voting Startups.
Tusk’s broader aim is to Expand Voter Participation in the U.S. by Enabling more Mobile Voting. “I have a 12-year-old and 9-year-old, and they would find it insane that you couldn’t vote on a phone,” Tusk says. He wants to Test Mobile Voting with Groups such as the Military, then find Officials “who are willing to try something different,” he says, to make the Practice Mainstream.
State Elections Director, Donald Kersey, worked with Voatz to make the App, which uses Facial Recognition Software to Confirm Voters’ Identities, compliant with West Virginia’s Voter ID Laws. Votes were stored on the Blockchain, inside what Voatz Executives call a “Digital Lockbox” on the Cloud. On Primary Day, County Clerks used Biometric Authentication Devices to Unlock and Collect the Votes.
Two Counties, Harrison and Monongalia, ran the Pilot in the May 8th Primary. Because it’s so New, only a Handful of Voters Abroad used the App, according to Kersey. The Blockchain Technology Distributes and Stores the Votes in 16 Locations, including the Cloud, using various Providers. A Hacker would have to get into all 16 Locations to Access any of the Votes, according to Kersey.
Harrison County Clerk Susan Thomas says that because she couldn’t Transfer the App Votes into her Tabulator, she had to Re-Create the Ballots before Counting Them. “There’s a lot that needs to be tweaked,” she says.
Skeptics say Blockchain Voting won’t Improve Security. It’s “mostly hype,” says J. Alex Halderman, a University of Michigan Computer Science Professor known for Hacking into Voting Machines. He says there are still Core Security Problems with Mobile Voting that Blockchain doesn’t Solve, such as Preserving Anonymity and Transferring Votes from Smartphones infected with Malware. It’s “worthy of research and study—but it may be decades until we get there,” Halderman says.
These Mobile Systems also Lack a Paper Backup, making it hard to Audit Vote Counts, according to Audrey Malagon, a Mathematics Professor working with the Advocacy Group Verified Voting Foundation. “I hope they recognize that this isn’t ready for widespread use,” she says. Some West Virginia Counties use Only Paper Ballots. Others have Voting Machines that produce a Receipt so Voters can Confirm their Selections.
Since May, Voatz’s App has withstood Audits from Five Security Companies, say Kersey and Tusk. The Blockchain Technology also underwent an External Review in early August. The Results have not yet been Released.
Tusk is Contributing about $400,000 for that Effort and talking to other States about Piloting the Program. He says he hopes the Government will eventually sign on: “I can’t pay for this everywhere.”
For this to work, the Data from the Blockchain must be Formatted so it can be Tabulated and an Image must be generated if there is a Hand Count required. There will also have to be better Security on the Smartphone to Protect it from Malware.
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